The Inherent Mechanical Properties of Allograft Fascia Lata

Abstract

Autogenous tendon and fascia are the most commonly used grafts for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Allografts, however, are now being used in selected patients. Allografts offer the advantage of decreased surgicaltime and morbidity, and a wider choice of graft type, size, and shape. The purpose of this study was to determine the inherent mechanical properties of sterilely procured/ freeze-dried (SP/FD), ethylene oxide/freeze-dried (ETO/FD), and irradiated/ freeze-dried (IRR/FD) fascia lata specimens and to compare the results to freshfrozen (FF) fascia data from our previous study (Noyes et al. 1984).